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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2019)
A4 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TuESDAY, JANuARY 8, 2019 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager OUR VIEW Culture change needed in Capitol A scathing report about sex- ual harassment in the Ore- gon Capitol is both deeply disturbing and deeply flawed. Legislative leaders must take its concerns seriously, instead of focusing on its shortcomings so as to protect their reputation. Regard- less of what Senate President Peter Courtney, Speaker Tina Kotek and others say, they failed to ade- quately address sexual harassment through meaningful training, effec- tive monitoring and swift action against offenders. They are not alone. State archives show that lawmakers as far back as the 1990s struggled with how to address sexual harass- ment. The slight progress made since then is demoralizing. A state Bureau of Labor and Industries’ Civil Rights Divi- sion report issued last week found substantial evidence of unlaw- ful employment practices based on sex. Critics of the report will say that is no surprise, because the investigation was instigated through a complaint filed by the head of BOLI, Brad Avakian. Indeed, much of the report does read as if it were designed to reach a preordained conclu- sion. Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hay- ward, who like Sen. Sara Gelser had filed a sexual harassment com- plaint against Sen. Jeff Kruse, said she was not interviewed by the BOLI investigators and disagreed with their conclusions. The fail- AP Photo/Andrew Selsky Val Hoyle, center, poses for photos for well-wishers with Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, left, and Gov. Kate Brown after Hoyle was sworn in Monday as Oregon’s labor commissioner. Hoyle has an ambitious agenda but an investigation pushed by her predecessor on sexual harassment in the Capitol looms — and the report drew new criticism. ure to talk with Steiner Hayward and some other key figures is odd and diminishes the investigators’ findings. But the overall issues raised in the report remain valid. The report was released just days before Avakian’s term as BOLI commissioner ended. That leaves it up to his successor, Val Hoyle, to recommend any sanc- tions, including whether interns who were sexually harassed should receive compensation. A Capitol work environment can be toxic because of the over- whelming imbalance of power. Everyone wants to gain the approval of elected officials and is expected to treat them deferen- tially. For good reason, people fear they will be marginalized — polit- ically, professionally and socially — if they complain. “I believe harassment is based on power,” lawyer P.K. Runkles-Pearson told Kotek, Courtney and other members of a legislative committee last month. “It starts with the power associated with privilege. … “Enhanced power relationships inherently make it difficult for anyone to make waves. And this includes victims of harassment, those who observe harassment and those who are charged with addressing harassment.” Courtney and Kotek had asked the Oregon Law Commission to recommend improvements in how the Legislature dealt with sex- ual harassment. Runkles-Pear- son chairs that work group. Its upcoming report — a draft was released last month — calls for a complete change in Capi- tol culture and offers a series of recommendations. There is no justification what- soever for sexual harassment of any form or in any place or against any person. Yet there are those in the Capitol, including some leg- islators, who still seem to believe in “boys will be boys,” “go along to get along” and “quit your whin- ing!” It will be difficult, but imper- ative, to help them understand what sexual harassment actually is and how it affects the victims. “The way you change culture is that you have people in power show that they want the environ- ment to change,” Runkles-Pearson said. So true. Instead of arguing whether the Capitol was or was not a hostile workplace, legisla- tive leaders must ensure it is not one. Update the rules, overhaul the training and start to change the culture so the Oregon Capitol truly is a harassment-free environment for everyone. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Urban Core plan no longer represents Astorians T hose concerned about our riverfront and Riverwalk between Second and 16th Streets should attend the 6:30 p.m. Astoria Planning Commission meeting tonight at City Hall concerning the Urban Core Plan (UCP). The document continu- ally uses the words “should” and “encour- age” that require nothing of the devel- oper, and must be replaced with “shall.” This meeting may provide wording to eas- ily deny the design/architecture/mass of another Fairfield Hotel. This plan is more than 10 years old. It no longer represents 2019 Astoria resi- dents, with large buildings being proposed on both sides of the trolley tracks. This will force people to leave the Riverwalk to walk through corridors between adjacent over-the-river buildings to have “managed views” of the river and ship movement. Since much of the river will be blocked we will need to change this section from River- walk to Buildingwalk. If you can afford to go into these restaurants/buildings, you will be able to easily enjoy the river. They are also recommending balconies on buildings facing both sides of the Riv- erwalk. Imagine people on balconies inter- acting with those on the Riverwalk — not always in a positive way. Parking is a prob- lem, and they are recommending reduc- ing or eliminating parking requirements for new buildings — hoping to solve the prob- lem in the future. Parking requirements and solutions are needed before the UCP is finalized. You are allowed to send commission- ers and councilors multiple letters/emails anytime on the UCP. Send them to Tiffany Taylor (ttaylor@astoria.or.us) — a wonder- ful administrative assistant who will for- ward them to the right people. GEORGE (MICK) HAGUE Astoria ignated Coast Guard City. Every time the federal government shuts down, the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard have to work without receiving a pay- check, because they are funded by Home- land Security. That’s 42,000 Coast Guard service people who will be receiving late paychecks. Each of the above city governments should have proclamations in place to pro- test to the White House and our Congres- sional representatives. It is an outrage to know that the Coast Guard receives late paychecks, but the president and those on Capitol Hill remain on the payroll. LARRY ALLEN Astoria Cities should protest Coast Guard’s late paychecks Support our Coast Guard community hat do these U.S. cities have in com- mon? Mobile, Alabama; Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska; Alameda, Eureka and San Diego, California; New London, Connecti- cut; Clearwater, Florida; Camden County, Georgia; Rockland, Maine; Newburyport, Massachusetts; Grand Haven and Travers City, Michigan; Cape May, New Jersey; Carteret County, Elizabeth City and Wilm- ington, North Carolina; Astoria, Florence and Newport, Oregon; Portsmouth, Vir- ginia; and Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. We all have the pride of being a des- L W et’s support our Coast Guard commu- nity during the federal government shutdown. While President Donald Trump continues to tweet up his temper tantrums, America’s Coast Guard is going to suffer. While the government has determined they will be paid if the Trump shutdown contin- ues, the Coast Guard will not get paid. The Coast Guard is funded through the Department of Homeland Security. If Trump and the GOP enablers continue to ignore common sense and effective border security measures, Astoria needs to step up and help our Coast Guard community. ROBERT DUEHMIG Astoria Here are some other ideas for PERS reform he Daily Astorian declares some Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) reforms — those that would result in less economically secure state workers — “solid ideas” (“Our View: Solid ideas for restructur- ing PERS,” Jan. 3). So, let’s look at a cou- ple of other ideas that don’t amount to an attack on public employees’ well being, but still would reduce PERS public employ- ers’ costs. 1. Direct the expected $724 million upcoming state kicker to the PERS system to reduce the unfunded actuarial liability. The Legislature is empowered to redirect that kicker from taxpayer kicker refunds to other uses, like funding the PERS system. After all, the bottom 20 percent of taxpay- ers will get only an average of only $13. Not getting the kicker would not be a hard- ship, so let’s just divert the whole kicker to a higher purpose — PERS reform. 2. The Legislature could create a new tax surcharge on current benefits paid to the top 7 percent of PERS beneficiaries, those making over $6,001 to as much as $76,111 monthly. That revenue would be directed to T the PERS funding difficulties. Applying a conservative surcharge of 7 percent on the PERS income of the top 7 percent would generate new revenue exceeding $54 mil- lion/annually at minimum. Making the flat 7 percent surcharge progressive would gen- erate even more revenue. Let’s get these two options into the pub- lic conversation, and on the minds of our elected officials in Salem. DAVID DELK Astoria Gearhart pub was community gathering place M y husband and I are so sad to hear of the closing of the Gearhart Crossing Pub and Deli. As new permanent residents of this lovely city, this vacates a significant community gathering place for friends and family. When we bought our home here last spring, we saw the business as one of the draws for our quality of life. We knew the owners and staff worked hard, but suffered under locally induced impediments. All efforts to recreate and support this essential heart of Gearhart should be made in full. I invite the residents, City Council and inter- ested investors to please consider restoring a vital center for the future of Gearhart. DELORES SULLIVAN Gearhart
